Summary:

In P.S. I LOVE YOU, a romantic comedy, a young woman’s dead husband has written her a series of pre-planned letters that help her cope with his death and move on with her life. P.S. I LOVE YOU is funny, heartwarming and therapeutic, but it avoids the deeper moral and theological issues contained in its story and has plenty of foul language and a scene of pre-marital sex.

Review:

P.S. I LOVE YOU, starring Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler, is a cute and emotionally rewarding romantic comedy that’s more profound than usual, but it’s not particularly God-centered or filled with many family values like BELLA or DAN IN REAL LIFE. The main character does, however, strengthen her relationship with her mother.

Based on the novel by Cecelia Ahern, the movie opens with an introductory scene between Holly Kennedy and her Irish husband, Gerry. Holly and Gerry argue about whether to have a baby now or wait, and other things, but eventually make up before going to bed.

Cut to a year later. Gerry’s life has been taken by a sudden, but lingering, illness, and Holly is despondent. Before he died, however, Gerry wrote Holly a series of love letters. The first letter arrives on her 30th birthday with a cake and a tape recording. Gerry tells her to get out of the apartment and celebrate her birthday with her friends.

Over the next year, Holly gets a series of messages from Gerry helping her to cope with his death and face the new challenges that life inevitably brings. Instead of keeping her tied to the past, the letters push Holly to a new, but ultimately bright, future.

P.S. I LOVE YOU is funny, heartwarming and therapeutic. The acting is also very good. In fact, Harry Connick, Jr., as Holly’s new, shy suitor and friend, Daniel, may deserve an Oscar® nomination for the creative, intriguing delivery of his lines. His character deserves his own movie. You can’t say that about too many other supporting characters.

Though it is more profound than the usual faire from the entertainment industry, P.S. I LOVE YOU avoids the deepest issues of life, such as the existence of a personal God who loves us and the possibility of an after-life. Thus, the movie has a light pagan worldview that tolerates pre-marital sex. Even so, the movie shows viewers that true love is eternal. A strong Christian worldview could have made this theme stronger, but the theme is there nonetheless.

P.S. I LOVE YOU also contains some foul language and a scene of implied fornication. A Catholic priest briefly begins the wake for Holly’s husband, and Holly briefly questions why God took her husband, but there is no further mention of religion in the movie.

In Brief:

P.S. I LOVE YOU opens with an introductory scene showing the love between Holly Kennedy and her Irish husband, Gerry. Cut to a year later. Gerry has died, felled by a sudden illness, and Holly is despondent. Before he died, Gerry wrote Holly a series of letters. The first letter arrives on her 30th birthday with a tape recording. Gerry tells her to get out of the apartment and celebrate her birthday with her friends. Over the next year, Holly gets pre-planned messages from Gerry helping her to cope with his death and move on with her life. Instead of keeping her tied to the past, the letters push Holly to a new, bright future.

P.S. I LOVE YOU is funny, heartwarming and therapeutic. The acting is also very good. The movie is more profound than the usual popcorn movie but avoids the deepest issues of life, such as the existence of a personal God who loves us. Thus, it has a light pagan worldview with light sexual content and plenty foul language. A strong Christian worldview could have strengthened the movie’s theme that love is eternal and personal.